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» Towards the characterization of potentially habitable planets with high resolution spectroscopy

Towards the characterization of potentially habitable planets with high resolution spectroscopy

Event Details

Event Dates:

Friday, September 16, 2016 - 12:00pm

Seminar Location:

JILA 10th Floor - Foothills Room

Speaker Name(s):

Matteo Brogi

Speaker Affiliation(s):

CASA

Seminar Type/Subject

Scientific Seminar Type:

Astrophysics Lunch Seminar

Event Details & Abstract:

Small exoplanets orbiting small stars are the most common outcome of planet formation. Their occurrence is so high, in fact, that the closest rocky planets in the habitable zone of their parent stars might well be “around the corner” in astronomical terms, as the recent discovery of Proxima Cen b demonstrates.
Terrestrial exoplanets orbiting stars cooler and less massive than the Sun will be the prime targets for atmospheric characterization and the search of potential biomarkers in the near future. This because the planet/star signal ratio is sensibly increased compared to an Earth-Sun twin.
In this talk I will present a relatively recent and novel technique to observe exoplanet atmospheres based on the use of high dispersion spectroscopy (HDS). I will review past successes in characterizing giant planets, among which are the first detections of the atmospheres of non-transiting planets and the first measurements of exoplanet rotation. I will show how HDS will be used in the near future to characterize hundreds of exoplanets, including those found by TESS, and eventually combined with high-contrast imaging to hunt for biomarkers, with a particular focus on terrestrial planets orbiting M-dwarfs such as Proxima Cen b.

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JILA is a joint physics institute of the University of Colorado at Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. We support an eclectic and innovative research program that fosters creative collaborations among our scientists. Collaborations play a key role in the pioneering research JILA and the JILA Physics Frontier Center are known for around the world. To learn more, visit our About JILA page.